Is Art Still Relevant in 2020?

Art isn't counted among the necessities for survival, and in the economic uncertainty of these times, artwork seems expendable. We seldom think about art outside of a formal gallery setting. A subject for scholars and wealthy collectors, but of little interest to the average person. Poststructuralism gave rise to various reactionary movements in the late 20th century, and now concepts like metamodernism and postirony dominate an increasingly isolated industry. Occasionally a novelty will make the news, like a Banksy stunt or a record setting auction price. For those of us who don't actively follow modern art, it seems strange and trivial.

Since the 1990s, technology has begun eroding the timbers of the gallery walls, and the theater curtains have been drawn back. What was, for centuries, a mysterious and elusive craft, practiced by eccentric intellectuals, was brought to our homes by a soft spoken man with a perm. Bob Ross and other TV hosts made painting lessons accessible, and celebrity artists like Thomas Kinkade marketed inexpensive prints and collectibles of old-fashioned paintings. Kitsch was king, and art became commercialized.

It's easy to trivialize artists like Kinkade and Norman Rockwell for being shallow and materialistic. Rockwell's subjects failed to plumb the depths of class struggle, and Kinkade's allegories were nearly all grounded in protestant Christian symbols. They were both highly skilled and astute artists, but chose to paint for the consumer rather than the critic. They expressed themselves with subtlety and succeeded in becoming extremely popular and financially successful.

Illustrators, commercial artists, and cartoonists have developed alongside academic artists. They have often pioneered movements, and the posters of Beardsley, Mucha, and Toulouse-Lautrec would be considered fine art by any modern standard. That baton has been passed to the digital artists who design our video games, CGI movie effects, animations, and, of course, film posters. These elements of art pervade our lives in more ways than we realize. The internet browser window you're reading this in was designed by an artist.

Increasingly, the term artist is being expanded to include illustrators, animators, actors, and musicians. Art has long been relegated to a sophisticated intellectual pursuit, but can be a source of pure entertainment also. Just as music includes classical fugues, lyric poetry, and frivolous pop songs, art embraces the entire gamut of visual representation. The comic book, graphic novel, and Manga art style have gained a large audience with my generation in much the way Rockwell and Kinkade appealed to our forebears. The imagery is straightforward and entertaining, but allows as much expression as any other artform.

It's easy to become discouraged by the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and the shifting economy. There are fewer opportunities to find traditional clients as small businesses and shopping malls are being devoured by corporate monopolies. But, there is a ray of hope in the changing entertainment industry. I've begun spending more time preparing tutorial videos than composing paintings, and I'm learning to conform stylistically to other media.

More than half of the world's internet users are on Facebook and Youtube. That's an enormous market for artwork. Whether for profit, or just to express yourself, there is no better time to be creative. A smartphone can produce a feature film which would've cost tremendous sums of money only a couple of decades ago. Even being able to take photos and video so easily is unprecedented, and through the study of art techniques we can elevate digital media to new heights.

I've been more impressed by independent music producers and filmmakers in the past few years than ever before. These are difficult times, but such times are often a crucible to rejuvenate the artistic potential of society. The old gallery system is already failing, and that only means that artists are now accountable to the public at large. Prints and digital art will continue to outsell paintings, and a multitude of new opportunities will grow from the need for alternative online content.

Art is alive and well, and remains tremendously important to me. It's an intermediary between religion and psychology, part science and part mysticism. By translating the colors and symbols of the natural world into forms conceived in the human psyche, we can speak directly to the subconscious mind. Art manifests the inner nature of the artist and his/her subject in a synergistic way. Each of us has a unique style which comes, unbidden, of our individual impressions through art.

I am reticent to consider myself a teacher, as I am a perpetual student, but I enjoy sharing my understanding of art with others. I teach painting techniques to encourage creativity, but it is just as important to engage with art as an observer. Images connect with us profoundly with or without our conscious attention. Understanding how to recognize their impact is as rewarding as learning a new language which is spoken to us everyday.

Art is a reflection of nature through the mirror of the intellect and, as such, it dimly reveals life's mysteries in time. I have learned more about myself and the world around me through studying art and music than I have from any philosophy. The study of harmony, color, and balance is among the earliest aspirations of humankind, and is as important today as ever. I look forward to sharing more observations in future blog posts, and to our shared observations of artworks all around us.